Under Current

Under Current

I've been batting around the idea of sharing some of my art journaling experiences here on my website blog. I have several other blogs which focus on a fresh perspective, on my ebook, The Birthday Wall, and on Your Authentic Refreshment, plus the #JournalChat focused blog where I post transcripts. 

But this blog on my website is wide open to possibilities. I have featured several posts from my For a Fresh Perspective blog here, but I think it would be FUN to share other elements/dimensions of my life as well, but especially including my art life. 

I have titled this post, Under Current, since this is the message I gave to a recent art journal spread. I'll tell you a bit about my process. 

I almost always start a spread by priming the pages with white gesso which I did here. For this spread, I started by intuitively choosing two colors of watercolor paint, one being a dark red and the other gold. I love the contrasting color which gives it pop on the page. I used a palette knife to spread the paint in random places.

I next added bits of colored paper from saved magazine selections to add a collage dimension, which I adore. I then added some oil pastel. There is where I felt I added a bit too much and had to remove some; then I added more paint on top of that layer. 

I then decided to use bubble wrap to fill the rest of the white parts of the page with texture. I love the random look of the bubbles since they are not all uniform. 

My last approach to this spread was adding the stamped letters; on the left side it reads vertically "Under" in gold and on the right side, horizontally, "Current" in red. This message tells me that the undercurrent of my life experiences tell me about who I really am. 

Art Journaling is a super fun way of bringing these subconscious messages to the fore, helping us understand ourselves on a deeper level and to help us honor our preferences (like what I love on my art journal pages), our personality (how I like to spend my time as an artist) and our Purpose (learning more about who I am and encouraging others to do the same.) 

So, there you have it. 

My goal is to share future art journal spreads and my process here on this blog plus other bits about my art related life. 

You're welcome to share about your art journaling or artistic endeavors in the comments below or just give feedback on this post. :)

Enjoy your day and don't forget to refresh yourself. 

Copyright 2014 Dawn Herring